Request a consultationAm I eligible?

Paying · Revenue

Tax relief on weight loss surgery

How the 20% health expenses relief works for a gastric sleeve, with worked examples and the rules for treatment abroad.

The short answer

Weight loss surgery to treat obesity is medical treatment by a registered doctor, so it fits Revenue's rules for health expenses: you can claim relief at 20% on what you paid and weren't refunded. On a €10,000 gastric sleeve that's €2,000 back. You claim through myAccount, for up to four years after. Revenue decides each claim, so keep every receipt.

  • 20%relief on what you pay
  • €2,000back on a €10,000 sleeve
  • 4 yearsto make a claim
  • 6 yearsto keep receipts

Free check · about a minute

Am I eligible?

See where your BMI sits against the usual criteria, what it costs in Ireland and what the HSE, insurance and tax relief can do. A surgeon always makes the final call.

Your height and weight never leave your device. If you ask a clinic to contact you, we send only a BMI band and your answers, with your consent.

Step 1 of 7

Your height and weight

We work out your BMI here on the page. Nothing is sent.

cm
kg
Your BMI–

Enter your height and weight.

Do you have any of these?

Tick all that apply. These are the conditions surgeons look for at a BMI of 35 to 40.

What have you tried before?

Tick all that apply. A clinic asks this at the first consultation.

Which option are you looking at?

Pick the closest. You can change your mind at the consultation.

How would you like to go about it?

Your result explains the cost and the wait for each route.

When, and where are you?

The clinic uses your county to plan consultations and check-ups near you.

Your result
Where should the clinic contact you?

One Irish clinic gets your enquiry, nobody else. They contact you to arrange a consultation with a surgeon. Nothing is booked unless you say yes.

Thank you

Your enquiry is on its way to one Irish clinic. Here's what happens next:

  1. Today. We pass your answers to one clinic whose bariatric surgeons are on the Medical Council's Specialist Register. No one else gets them.
  2. Usually within two working days. The clinic rings or texts you to arrange a first consultation.
  3. At the consultation. A surgeon and the team assess you, explain your options and give you a written quote. Nothing is booked unless you say yes.

Changed your mind? Email hello@gastricsleeve.ie and we'll delete your enquiry and tell the clinic.

What counts

Revenue gives relief on health care carried out or advised by a registered practitioner, at the standard rate of 20%. For weight loss surgery that usually includes:

  • consultant and surgeon's fees, and the anaesthetist;
  • hospital or clinic charges for the operation and your stay;
  • diagnostic tests a doctor recommends, such as blood tests and scans;
  • medicines a doctor prescribes, including prescribed vitamins after surgery.

Revenue excludes cosmetic surgery, but says relief may be available where surgery corrects a health issue. Obesity surgery treats a disease, which is why it fits the rules.

What doesn't count

  • Anything your insurer, the HSE or someone else paid or refunded.
  • Removal of excess skin for appearance alone, as cosmetic surgery.
  • Travel and hotels for surgery abroad when the same care is available here (see below).
Hands on a laptop beside a stethoscope

Worked examples

You paidInsurer refundedYou claim onRelief at 20%
€6,500€0€6,500€1,300
€10,000€0€10,000€2,000
€10,000€8,500€1,500 (your shortfall)€300

Relief at the standard rate. You need to have paid at least that much income tax in the year to get it all back.

How to claim

  • PAYE workers: through Revenue's myAccount. You can claim during the year, in real time, or after the year ends.
  • Self-employed: in the health expenses section of your Form 11 in ROS.
  • Time limit: the last four years. Each year is claimed separately.
  • Receipts: you don't send them, but keep them for six years in case Revenue asks.

Revenue's own guide: what are qualifying health expenses.

Surgery abroad

Relief can apply to treatment abroad if the doctor is registered under that country's laws. But Revenue's position is that where the care is available in Ireland and you choose to go abroad, travel and accommodation don't qualify. Weight loss surgery is available here, so flights and hotels for surgery in Turkey won't count.

Questions people ask

Can I claim tax back on a gastric sleeve?

Yes, in most cases. It's treatment for a disease by a registered doctor, which fits Revenue's rules. You claim 20% of what you paid yourself.

Can I claim tax relief on a gastric sleeve done in Turkey?

The operation can qualify if the surgeon is registered in Turkey, but your flights and accommodation won't, because the surgery is available in Ireland.

Can I claim for a gastric balloon?

A balloon used to treat obesity by a registered doctor fits the same rules. Check with Revenue if you're unsure, and keep your receipts.

Do I need a Med 1 form?

No. The Med 1 form is no longer used. You claim through myAccount or your Form 11.

Read next

Gastric sleeve cost in IrelandWhat a sleeve costs privately, what the quote should include, the costs…Health insuranceHow Irish hospital plans treat weight loss surgery, the waiting periodsTurkey vs IrelandA fair comparison

Free, private, one clinic

Check where you stand in about a minute

Your BMI against the usual criteria, the cost in Ireland, and what the HSE, insurance and tax relief can do.

Check if I'm eligible
Am I eligible?Prices